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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM67340
Volume:
10 |
9 |
Sep 2026
Pages:
1-28
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
KK Modi University Durg
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
KK Modi University Durg
This cross-sectional analytical study examined the relationship between junk food consumption and nutritional, anthropometric, physiological, psychological and functional outcomes among 200 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years in Rajnandgaon city, Chhattisgarh. Participants were selected through stratified proportional random sampling from four institutions. Junk food exposure was measured with a locally adapted 38-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire incorporating both nationally marketed products and regional Chhattisgarhi preparations. Dietary intake was assessed using three-day 24-hour recalls and interpreted with the Indian Food Composition Tables and ICMR–NIN dietary reference framework. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, blood pressure, anxiety and selected physical-fitness measures were assessed. Thirty-six percent of participants were classified as habitual consumers, 40% as less-habitual consumers and 24% as non-habitual consumers. Overweight and obesity together affected 34% of the sample, while 10% remained underweight, demonstrating a concurrent double burden of malnutrition. Mean BMI increased from 20.21 to 23.31 kg/m² across consumption categories (F = 28.09, p < 0.01), while anxiety scores increased from 30.25 to 42.92 (F = 34.03, p < 0.01). Habitual consumers consumed approximately 486 kcal/day more than non-habitual consumers, with substantially higher fat and lower fibre but no significant difference in absolute protein intake. Protein density therefore fell from 26.03 to 19.89 g/1000 kcal. Hostel residence was strongly associated with habitual consumption (χ² = 31.23, p < 0.01), and junk-food frequency remained the only significant independent predictor of BMI in multiple regression (β = 0.520, R² = 0.277). A structured nutrition-education module increased awareness scores from 10.23 to 15.72/20 (t = 25.59, p < 0.01). The findings support a nutrient-displacement interpretation in which energy-dense foods reduce diet quality as well as increase energy intake. Because the study is cross-sectional, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal.
KEYWORDS
Among undergraduate students in Rajnandgaon, higher junk-food consumption was associated with poorer dietary composition, higher BMI and central-adiposity indicators, higher blood pressure values, higher anxiety scores and lower physical-fitness performance. The most distinctive dietary result was nutrient displacement: habitual consumers consumed substantially more energy and fat but no more absolute protein, resulting in lower protein density and lower fibre intake. Hostel residence was strongly associated with habitual consumption, while junk-food frequency remained the only significant predictor of BMI in the multivariable model. These findings support a college nutrition strategy that combines education with environmental change. The evidence does not justify claiming that junk food alone causes the observed outcomes. Rather, it identifies a consistent cluster of associations and a plausible nutrient-displacement pathway that should be tested prospectively. Future studies should use longitudinal cohorts, objective physical-activity measures, biochemical indicators and cluster-randomized campus interventions to establish temporal sequence and intervention effectiveness.
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Publication Date
9/17/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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